Mandolin.



W11. DE WIGK. MANDOLIN. APPLICATION FILED MAY 16, 1910.

1,018,651 Patented Feb.27, 1912.

IIIIIIII/IIII/Ii/IIII/IIII/III/IIlIIlIlI/ll Ill/14021111111111!I/IIrIl/lI/I/ lllr/ IIIIII/II/(IIIIII/IIIIIII/ Inventor i Witnesses: J:I M K COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON. D c.

WILLIAM H. DE WIGK, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

MAND OLIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 16, 1910.

Patented Feb. 27, 1912.

Serial No. 561,562.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, VILLIAM H. DE TICK, a citizen of the United States,residing in the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, State of New York,have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Mandolins, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The object I have in view is to produce an instrument of the mandolintype, that is, one having a wooden head or deck, in which the head ordeck will be rigidly held in place, whereby the treble strings will becaused to give a loud and brilliant tone, and the head or deck will beprevented from sagging.

A further object is to produce an instrument in which the sound openingswill be concealed.

A further object is to produce an instrument in which all strains willbe removed from the head or deck and in which no part of the instrumentwill be in contact with the head or deck except the bridge.

These and further objects will be pointed out in the followingspecification and claims, taken together or separately.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan View of a musicalinstrument embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a section on the line aa ofFig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section on the line ?)b of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is asimilar view showing another modification, and Fig. 5 is a side view ofa modified form of brace.

1 indicates the back of the instrument to which is rigidly secured abarrier 2 which is preferably cylindrical in form and of considerablethickness. Secured to the back 1 and preferably arranged concentricallywith reference to the barrier 2 is a hoop 3 and to the top of the hoopis secured, by gluing or otherwise, a head or deck 4 which, in thepreferred embodiment of my invention, is flat and imperforate. Betweenthe barrier 2 and hoop 3 I provide an annular space 5 and in the hoop 3is a plurality of sound openings 66. Rigidly secured to the back, hoop,and deck, is a plurality of rectangular, open braces 7 each provided atthe center of its top and bottom members with an enlargement 8 to giveadded stiffness. The enlargement 8 may be omitted if desired. The endsof the braces are provided with feet 9 which project through theopenings 6 and are secured to the barrier 2. Spacing blocks 10 and 11are secured in place between the barrier and hoop at diametricallyopposite points. The block 10 is for the purpose of adding strength atthe point where the neck 12 is secured to the body. The neck 12 isprovided with a dowel 13 which projects through the barrier and enters arecess 14 in the block 10, and the finger board 15 is secured to theneck in the usual manner and projects over the deck 4 but does not comein contact therewith. The block 11 is diametrically opposite the block10 and gives an additional support for the usual tailpiece 16 which maybe secured in place by screws or otherwise. Strings 17 are secured tothe tail-piece in the ordinary manner, and to the usual pegs or keys atthe outer end of the neck, and a bridge 18 is placed on the deck at theproper place and supports the strings at that point. The braces 7 giveadded stiffness to the deck and prevent sagging thereof.

In all wooden deck instruments, as far as I am aware, the decks arecaused to sag by reason of the strains put upon them by the strings andbecause of insuflicient bracing. By placing the sound openings in thehoop as shown the deck is left imperforate, thereby adding to itsstiffness and by means of the barrier the sound openings are concealedfrom view, thus adding to the appearance of the instrument.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4 the barrier and the sound openingsin the hoop are omitted, the sound opening being placed in the deck, andthe neck and the tail-piece are secured to the hoop 3.

In Fig. 5 I have shown the blocks 10 and 11 secured to the barrier 2only, thus leaving the hoop 3 free at all points, and the barrier isshown as having the same height as the body only where the blocks 10 and11 are placed, and tapers to nothing midway between those points.

It is obvious that the sound openings in the hoop may be of any size orshape and the number and position may be varied as desired.

It is obvious that various modifications may be made without departingfrom the spirit or scope of my invention.

Having now described my invention What I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is as follows:

1. A musical instrument of the class described, comprising a deck, ahoop supporting the deck, and a back secured to the hoop, said backextending beyond the hoop and carrying a barrier separated from thehoop.

2. A musical instrument of the class described, comprising a deck, ahoop supporting the deck, a sound opening in the hoop, a back carried bythe hoop, and a barrier supported on the back and concealing the soundopening.

3. A musical instrument of the class described comprising a deck, a hoopsupporting the same, sound openings in the hoop, a back carried by thehoop, a barrier supported on the back and separated from the hoop, and abrace by means of which the deck, the back, the hoop and the barrier aresecured together.

4. A musical instrument of the class described comprising a flat,imperforate deck, a hoop carrying the same, a plurality of openings inthe hoop, a back, a barrier carried by the back and separated from thehoop and concealing the openings, and a brace secured to the deck, thehoop, the back, and the barrier.

5. In a musical instrument of the class described the combination With adeck, a hoop supporting the same, openings in the hoop, a back carriedby the hoop, a barrier secured to the back and a neck and finger boardcarried by the barrier, of a brace joining the deck, the hoop, and theback, said brace being provided With feet Which extend through theopenings in the hoop and are secured to the barrier.

6. In a musical instrument of the class described the combination with adeck, a hoop carrying the same, a back carried by the hoop and a barriercarried by the back of blocks carried by the barrier, a neck secured. inone of said blocks, and a brace securing together the deck, the hoop,the back and the barrier.

This specification signed and witnessed this 14th day of May, 1910.

WILLIAM H. DE WIGK.

Witnesses:

JAs. F. COLEMAN, JOHN L. Lorsoi-L Copies of this patent may be obtainedfor five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,Washington, 1). C.

